Unique Historical Experiences for modern explorers
Private Guided Tours Of Berlin
BOOK TWO FULL DAY EXPERIENCES
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Either to/from Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (BER) for up to 6 people & luggage
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WHY BERLIN EXPERIENCES?
Twenty years leading guided tours in Berlin
“Professional curiosity brought me to Berlin. As a trained journalist, I arrived here from England intent on exploring and better understanding this fascinating city that stood centre-stage throughout the tumultuous 20th century.
After a chance encounter with a Cold War-era British spy, I stumbled into the world of tour guiding. Now firm in the belief that it is not only in the classroom, the newspaper, or the history book that we can best learn about the past – but in the places where these events occurred.
Over the last two decades of working as a professional guide, I have introduced thousands of visitors to Berlin; from independent travellers, families, companies, and schools – to Holocaust survivors rediscovering the streets they once called home and the relatives of Nazi perpetrators seeking answers to the crimes within their familes.
For three years, I served as the President of the Berlin Guides Association (2019-2022), representing some of the most inspiring and internationally regarded storytellers in the world. I also spent several years working at the former East German secret police headquarters as a historical consultant and am a licensed guide at the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial.
Berlin Experiences is my platform for channeling years of research and exploration – introducing visitors to this unique city to what is hidden beyond the surface – the sights, the secrets, & the stories that are just waiting to be discovered – if only you know where to look!”
Berlin Experiences
Founder and Guide
Berlin Guides Association
President Emeritus
2018-2020
Tours By Locals
Official Partner
2019-2024
UNIQUE HISTORICAL EXPERIENCES
Expert-led private guided tours of Berlin
This curated collection of tours is for anyone who wants to explore Berlin’s not-so-distant past and uncover what evidence remains of the grand – and often tragic – events that have taken place in this unique city.
From Berlin’s time as the capital of Prussia and Imperial Germany, to the catastrophe of the First World War; the rise and fall of Hitler’s Third Reich; the Cold War division and occupation of Berlin, and its eventual reunification following the ‘Fall of the Wall’.
For individuals, groups, schools, companies, and anyone interested in exploring Berlin’s fascinating history.
One Hour Experiences
If you only have limited time in Berlin or want to simply sample the kind of tours we offer, these one hour long private guided walking tours of Berlin deal with different historical themes and areas of the city.
Easily combined across the space of one or multiple days, if you want to book a number of tours, with limited overlap between each.
For private groups up to ten persons.
Half Day Experiences
These half day tours are different options on how to get to grips with the major sights across the city – either an extended introduction or condensed form of our longer full day tours, depending how you look at it.
Whether you prefer to explore the city by foot or using our private van transportation.
For private groups up to six or ten persons depending on the tour.
Full Day Experiences
Our internationally renowned flagship tours – in-depth historical experiences across the space of five/six/seven hours in one day exploring different chapters in Berlin’s history – with additional day trips to the Prussian royal city of Potsdam, and the former Nazi concentration camps of Sachsenhausen and Ravensbrück – all utilising private van transportation.
For private groups up to six persons.
EDUCATIONAL & ENTERTAINING
Taking history out of the classroom
& back onto the streets
Multimedia experiences showcasing historical photos & archive video footage
See, eat, and explore Berlin like a local – longer tours include coffee/snack/lunch breaks
All tours tailored to suit your personal interests and time constraints
Private transportation tours with Mercedes V-class or Volkswagen Caravelle vans & chauffeurs
The BERLIN EXPERIENCES Team
World class private guides
Joining Matt is a team of the most experienced and knowledgable professional guides in the world. Each fluent in English, German, and other languages – university educated and qualified in their respective fields (historians, journalists, archaeologists, anthropologists) – whilse also registered as members of the Berlin Guides Association.
HISTORICAL ARTICLES
Mythbusting Berlin
Did Hitler Escape To Argentina In 1945? – Mythbusting Berlin
Although Nazi leader, Adolf Hitler, certainly remains an inescapable figure, could there be any truth to the story of his escape to Argentina in 1945? That the most wanted man on earth could simply vanish, to spend the rest of his life in peaceful obscurity.
Who Was Really Responsible For The Reichstag Fire? – Mythbusting Berlin
Various theories have been posited as to who actually set fire to the German parliament in 1933. Was it the opening act in an attempted Communist coup or a calculated false flag operation carried out by elements of the Nazi Party, intended to create the conditions necessary for introducing single-party rule? And what part did the young man from Holland, arrested shirtless inside the building the night of the fire, play in this event?
Who Built The Berlin Wall? – Mythbusting Berlin
One of the most common questions I have encountered from people curious about Berlin, and often so cryptically phrased. Who built the Berlin Wall? A simple five-word query, yet one that can be read one of two ways. More than thirty years since the ‘Fall of the Wall’, the story of its construction continues to baffle many who are mainly familiar with its existence through knowledge of its importance…
Was The Fall Of The Berlin Wall An Accident? – Mythbusting Berlin
On a seasonally crisp night in November 1989, one of the most astonishing events of the 20th century occurred. After twenty eight years, three months, and twenty eight days of defining and dividing the German capital, the Berlin Wall ceased to exist – at least in an abstract sense. Although the removal of this symbol of the failure of the East German system would take some time, its purpose – as a border fortification erected
Did Frederick The Great Introduce The Potato To Germany? – Mythbusting Berlin
One of the more bizarre claims to fame attributed to the first King of Prussia is that the man who would go down in history known as Frederick the Great introduced the potato to Germany during his reign back in the 1700s. This starchy root vegetable has undoubtedly become a staple part of German cuisine – an essential addition to any plate of Schnitzel, Schweinshaxn, and Königsberger Klopse – however, whether Frederick the Great is
Was Adolf Hitler A Drug Addict? – Mythbusting Berlin
Solving the enigma of the ‘Führer’ has become a preoccupation for many, since the arrival of the Austrian-German onto the world stage – although moving beyond the mythology without falling into the trap of prejudically extrapolating on the psychopathography of Hitler or demonising so as to excuse his actions has proven problematic. What to make of the man who became more than the sum of his masks? The painter; the military dilettante, the mass murderer,
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Booking a tour via our website is simply a matter of navigating to the tour page and choosing the date you would like to tour and starting time via the calendar panel on the page.
You will then be taken to a booking form, where you enter your personal details and can then choose your payment option.
Once you complete your tour booking it will then enter our system as pending until confirmed on our side (this usually takes less than an hour depending when we see the booking request).
Then within the next 24 hours we will contact your directly via the email you supply during the booking process to say hello and confirm the booking.
If you have any special requests or requirements, please add them to your booking during the checkout process and we can finalise these details via email.
Through our booking platform (Rezdy), we accept all major credit cards – VISA, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, and Diners Club card.
If you would prefer to pay via bank transfer or Paypal, we can also arrange this.
Contact us via email (info@berlinexperiences.com) with any payment questions you might have.
We find that as many of our clients are holidaying in Berlin that starting slowly in the morning for our Full Day Experiences is both recommended and most rewarding.
A relaxing 10am start for our five/six hour tours also means that we can integrate a short coffee/snack break or lunch around 12:30pm.
For the Half Day Experiences, we would also recommend the same – although along with the One Hour Experiences there is more flexibility due to the reduced length of the tours.
When booking your tour, you will find the options for starting times in the booking window.
If you don’t find the time you are looking for – get in touch (info@berlinexperiences.com) and we can work something out!
For all of our Full Day Experiences, it is possible start and finish the tour at your hotel/accomodation. Depending on the location in the city and its distance from the areas we will be exploring, it may be more advisable to start at a centrally located landmark (within the Mitte district) such as the Brandenburg Gate or Museum Island.
Our One Hour Experiences are designed with specific starting point and end points in mind – for each of these tours there is a train station nearby which is easy to reach for travellers wishing to arrive by public transportation. Check the description on the tour pages for these One Hour Experiences to see exactly where the meeting points are.
For the Half Day Experiences, it may be possible in some cases (such as the Bitesize Berlin 3 Hour Private Van Tour) to start at your accomodation also. The other tours listed have specific starting points – be they the Berlin Brandenburg Airport for the Airport Transfer Tour or the Brandenburg Gate for the Berlin Explorer Tour.
While each of our tours have been designed to approach a certain historical theme or aspect of the city, we can always tailor your time in the city further. Berlin is not laid out chronologically, so when exploring it is only natural that we will pass landmarks and locations that are from different periods or are worth mentioning for certain events that have taken place there.
If there is any aspect of Berlin’s history or theme that you would like to explore further we can always work on integrating relevant parts of the city into a tour you book – or suggest another tour that might be more relevant.
Don’t hestitate to get in touch if there is something you would like to explore that you don’t see as part of our catalogue of tours. Send an email to info@berlinexperiences.com and we can discuss how to best make the most of your time in our extraordinary city.
As referenced in the Terms & Conditions page, we do not offer refunds on bookings made closer than one month of the tour date.
For example: if you book a tour on January 1st for July 1st, the same booking cancelled after June 1st is by that point non-refundable.
Bookings cancelled up to one month before the tour date will be refunded at 75% of the cost (100% of the booking cost minus a 25% administration fee).
If you would prefer to amend the tour date for another date this can be done at no additional cost.
As we accepted bookings through credit card payment, any cancellations made last minute due to cancelled/delayed flights or emergencies may be covered by your credit card company.
We do advise our clients to consider travel insurance to cover for unforseen circumstances. Our issued invoices can be then used to receive a refund from your insurance company or banking institution.
Cancellations can be made via email to info@berlinexperiences.com.
Absolutely.
You can do this either by booking tours individually through the booking platform we used or by adding tours to the shopping card system and booking multiple tours together.
Due to the high number of tours we have booked during the high season (April-December), we have a one week limit on our booking platform.
This means that you cannot automatically book any tour that would take place within the next 7 days through the platform.
If you would like to book a last minute tour – just because we do not list availability on our booking platform does not mean that one of our guides is not available – do get in touch via email (info@berlinexperiences.com) and we will see what we can do!
I (Matt) endeavour to lead all the tours I offer, but depending on availability may already be booked with other clients. In which case, I have a team of the best professional guides in Berlin, all with years of experience and dedication to their work, that I work with. All are members of the Berlin Guides Association, an organisation known throughout the world for its guiding excellence.
When you book you will receive a confirmation email within 24hrs to follow up on your booking and present which guides might be available and best suited for your tour/s.
The sights listed in the itinerary sections of our tours are a general guide to what may be covered when booking those particular tours and not necessarily what we may be able to cover during that day.
Particular factors such as official state visits, political demonstrations, reconstruction – and even the odd bomb disposal of Second World War ordnance – can shape & reshape our path through the city.
We appreciate that every guest is different and approaches the city with different expectations and interests – and we tailor our tours accordingly. If you find something in particular that interests you then please do refer to this when contacting us so we can arrange your day accordingly.
Our professional drivers are also available for airport transfers – provided with either Mercedes Benz V-class or Volkswagen Caravelle vans.
This service is for up to 4 people – including a moderate amount of baggage (one large bag and one small bag per person).
You can book directly via the private BER airport transfer item in our booking platform.
If you are looking for a private airport transfer and require a larger vehicle for a bigger group – get in touch via email (info@berlinexperiences.com).
If you are having issues booking through our booking platform – please get in touch via email ASAP (info@berlinexperiences.com) so we can see what we can do to fix the problem.
If you receive a particular error message that might be due to our booking system please do take screenshots (photos of your screen with the error) if possible.
We also accept alternative forms of payment through bank transfer/Paypal or cash on the day for clients who would prefer these methods.
As we are based in Germany, we charge the official 19% VAT (sales tax) – already calculated as part of the cost of our tours and the price that you see when you pay.
Additionally, we include the booking fee, guide fee, admin fee, driver and transportation costs (where applicable), and the mandatory German tourism insurances as part of the costs we present.
We aim to be 100% transparent with our services – offering a fair price for a fantastic day’s exploration!